Student Assistant in Mexican American Folk Arts & Culture WORK STUDY Opportunity

CALL FOR STUDENT ASSISTANT In Mexican American Folk Arts & Culture - Open to all current undergraduate students at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. 

The Chicana/o & Latinx Studies program at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is looking for a motivated student to serve as student assistant (SA) in Mexican American Folk Arts & Culture for the Academia Popular de Mariachi Project, directed by Dr. Juan García Oyervides. 

About this position

The SA in this project will assist the project director in the development of an educational platform centering Mexican American Folk in the Fox Valley of Wisconsin. The main responsibilities of the Student Assistant are as follow:

1. To assist in the research of cultural services and offerings currently available in the area
2. To support outreach initiatives with community partners, primarily at public schools in Oshkosh, Appleton, and Menasha
3. To assist in the development of an open access educational platform on Mariachi Culture in the US
4. To support the project activities at UWO by organizing, attending and participating in them
5. To assist in the collection of feedback from community members regarding the project

The Academia Popular de Mariachi project is a new initiative by the Chicana/o & Latinx studies program to increase opportunities for students and the community alike to learn more about the influences, history, and impact of Mexican American Folk Arts associated with mariachi culture in the US. The project has been previously funded in part by Wisconsin Humanities, the Appleton Education Fund, and the Oshkosh Area Community Foundation. As a new project, students will have the opportunity to contribute to a growing educational platform at UWO.

Work will begin immediately after hiring and will extend until the last week of classes for the semester (approximately 10 weeks). The position is paid at $15.00 per hour for 5 hours per week. Conversational knowledge of Spanish is necessary to be considered. Previous experience working with public schools, Mexican American or Latinx serving institutions is a plus but not necessary. Work-study eligible applicants will be strongly considered for this position.

Student Assistant Profile

You should apply if you are:

1. Personally/professionally motivated to learn more about Mexican-American history/art/cultures. It should be clear to you why these issues are important. We will work together on ways to communicate this importance to a wider audience.
2. Self-motivated and proficient in time management. Although there will be constant guidance throughout the process, SAs are expected to identify and express their own interests and keep track of their own contributions to the program.
3. Inquisitive & critical thinker. You should feel comfortable asking questions, even when those questions lead to difficult or unclear answers. 
4. Responsible for your work and with yourself. While some of the work we’ll be doing may require some intense periods of reading/thinking/discussion, SAs should be able to find a pace that works for them, their life situations and professional goals without sacrificing their own health. 

Why should I apply? 

You should apply if you are interested in:

1. Developing your professional skills in public speaking and interpersonal communication.
2. Establishing a professional record in program development.
3. Networking with Latinx leaders in Wisconsin.
4. Receiving dedicated mentorship on career advancement.

Additionally, this year’s SA will have the opportunity to develop the following essential learning outcomes as part of their experience in the program:

1. Strengthen their intercultural knowledge and competence by identifying and developing opportunities to connect peoples with different backgrounds through active collaboration with community partners serving the diverse ethnic communities in the region.
2. Develop their teamwork, leadership, and problem solving skills as they participate actively with other members of their team to enact a collaborative action plan based on real problems facing a multicultural contemporary community.
3. Enhance their Written & Oral Communication by engaging with professionals, community members, and organizations as co-organizers of a public-facing platform aimed at expanding and strengthening existing interpretation services in the region.

The big picture: 

According to the American Councils for International Education “one in three jobs are tied to international trade. Yet in a survey of American executives, 80 percent said they lost business because too few employees could work across cultures”, adding that “American businesses lose over $2 billion each year because of language or cultural misunderstandings.”

Start the application process by sending an email expressing interest to garciaoyervides@uwosh.edu